the 43-year-old austrian skydiver floated to an astounding 24 miles up, 128,000 feet above the new mexico desert where he opened his capsule, hung his feet out the door, was reminded to unfasten his seatbelt, saluted, and he just jumped right into the record books. he plummeted at an incomprehensible 833 miles an hour, so fast, the only way to see him in this infrared camera. the first human to break the sound barrier with just his body, no jet, no rocket. he tumbled out of control for a few tense seconds, then righted himself and managed to make a sound. it was enough for mom. >> okay, here we go, felix. >> reporter: the entire way up and down, felix heard only one voice. >> that a boy. >> reporter: it was the voice of experience. 84-year-old joe kittinger held the record for the highest free fall for 52 years. today, he talked felix through shattering that record by more than 25,000 feet. >> whoa! >> reporter: high winds delayed liftoff last week, but nothing, it seemed, could keep felix from the stratosphere today. he even returned to earth on his feet with a record that is simply out